Accessories/ Parts

Issues To Consider When Harvesting Frosted Crops

Posted on November 26 2018

Author: Sharon Watt

Date: 23 Nov, 2018

Grain growers harvesting frosted crops this season are encouraged to take extra precautions to minimise machinery wear and tear and the risk of fire, and to be conscious of the quality of grain retained for seed.

Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) research officer Ben Biddulph shares insights into harvesting frosted crops and other issues as a guest on the new Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) podcast series.

Dr Biddulph said frosts in August and September impacted many Western Australian crops and included frosts in mid-September which affected a wide area of WA’s central, eastern and southern cropping areas, and involved temperatures below minus three degrees centigrade in some areas.

“The type and severity of crop damage varied according to the stage of crop development, but it appears barley crops are generally more likely to have been ‘grain frosted’, which may impact on seed quality,” he said.

“Within specific areas, frost damage has varied across the landscape in severity and scale.”

Dr Biddulph, who conducts frost research, development and extension at DPIRD with co-investment from the GRDC, said harvesting a frosted crop brought another layer of complexity to an already busy time of year.

“Some of the complications are limited to this season’s harvest, while others have ramifications for next season’s crop,” he said.

“If practical to do so, harvest frosted paddocks last so that grain from better paddocks is safely in storage first.”

Dr Biddulph said frosted crops were difficult to thresh due to higher residual sugars, lower grain volume and the green material in the case of a plant re-tillering.

Key grains events in Western Australia in February will hear how machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) could help create the next generation of nitrogen (N) fertiliser decision aids for grain growers.

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